WVU men’s soccer did not start the season the way it wanted to.
The Mountaineers opened the year with a 3-0 loss to Charlotte, but since then, they have not lost a game.
WVU entered its matchup against No. 1 South Carolina riding a seven-game unbeaten streak, and the Mountaineers kept that streak alive with a draw against the top-ranked Gamecocks.
WVU turns things around
After the loss to Charlotte, WVU came back with a 1-0 win over St. Bonaventure in its home opener.
The Mountaineers then went on the road and tied No. 21 UNC
Greensboro, 1-1.
WVU’s game against No. 9 Akron was ruled a no contest, but after that, the Mountaineers started to find their rhythm.
They beat George Mason 2-1 before having their best offensive game of the season against Denver.
WVU scored five goals in the second half to beat Denver 5-0.
The Mountaineers followed that with back-to-back 1-0 wins over Georgia State and Duquesne. The Georgia State win also gave WVU a win in its first Sun Belt game of the season.
That gave WVU four straight wins heading into the Mountain State Derby against Marshall.
Pablo Pozos has been a big part of the offense
Senior forward Pablo Pozos has been one of WVU’s biggest offensive threats this season.
Pozos had a big stretch earlier this season against George Mason and Denver.
He scored on a penalty kick against George Mason to tie the game in the 76th minute before WVU eventually won 2-1.
Then against Denver, Pozos had two goals and two assists in WVU’s 5-0 win.
He finished those two games with three goals and two assists and was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week.
Pozos was also named the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year before the season started.
Heading into the Marshall game, he led WVU with four goals and 10 points.
WVU ties Marshall
WVU’s four-game winning streak ended against Marshall, but the Mountaineers were still able to keep their unbeaten streak going.
West Virginia and Marshall finished tied 1-1 in the Mountain State Derby.
The draw moved WVU to 5-1-2 overall and 1-0-1 in conference play.
Defense has also been a big part of WVU’s recent success.
Before the Marshall game, goalkeeper Toby Mawer had gone 324 straight minutes without allowing a goal. At the time, that was the fourth-longest active streak in the country.
The draw with Marshall set up WVU’s biggest challenge of the season: a matchup with No. 1 South Carolina.
WVU holds its own against No. 1 South Carolina
WVU had a chance to see exactly how it matched up against the No. 1 team in the country, and the Mountaineers kept their unbeaten streak alive with a draw against South Carolina.
The result continued an impressive turnaround for WVU after its season-opening loss to Charlotte.
The Mountaineers have now gone eight straight games without a loss, a stretch that includes draws against ranked UNC Greensboro, rival Marshall and now the No. 1 team in the country.
WVU was picked to win the Sun Belt before the season, while South Carolina was picked sixth, and the matchup showed why the Mountaineers were viewed so highly coming into the year.
WVU may not have gotten the win against the Gamecocks, but earning a result against the No. 1 team in the country adds another strong performance to a team that continues to build momentum.
After a rough start to the season, the Mountaineers are proving they can compete with some of the best teams in college soccer.
